Life in Iowa

changes at the Stepec house...

2012-02-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

Albert City here we come!

Over the next couple months are lives are going to be changing a lot! I am due with #3 at the beginning of May (which will probably mean sometime in April)...and Steve got a job in northwestern Iowa! He is working part-time now, which means he is working a couple weekends a month. It's about 3 hours from here to our new town.

We are moving before June since Steve starts full-time June 1st. All the while I am finishing the school year here, hoping the timing of the maternity leave will all work out so I don't have to go back at the end of the year. Oh yes, and we need to sell our house and look for another one! Needless to say, I think the rest of my pregnancy is going to go really fast! :)

The name of the neighboring town is Pocahontas, we stayed here during the interviews, etc. Here's a picture of Pocahontas and Steve! Seriously, I know you all want to come and visit and see this! :)

Henry is 3!

2012-01-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

We have celebrated Henry's 3rd birthday all month it seems like. The 4 of us celebrated on the 10th (his real birthday) and then Grammy watched them for a weekend and they celebrated again, and then just this morning we had his "party" with the Bolands, Knuckles and Bapa. Here are some pictures of all the fun!

Birthday breakfast at the bakery! Yum!

present time...

birthday cupcakes at home...

cake Steve made for his breakfast birthday party this morning...

We love you Henry!

New Stepec!

2012-01-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

In May we're expecting #3! We couldn't be more thrilled to be able to welcome another member into our family. Here's a video I made to tell my students...enjoy!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-15T14:36:00.001-08:00

After many months of not blogging I am finally updating about Christmas. It's been a really weird winter here in Iowa. We have no snow and haven't had any snow all year. The kids are wondering when it's going to come so they can play in the snow. This year we had a quiet, relaxing Christmas here in Marshalltown.

Here are the boys on Christmas Morning: (yes, I still buy them matching pjs)

My dad and brother came down for the weekend, and then on Christmas Day we traveled to Iowa City to spend Christmas with family. We stayed there until Wednesday, and then came home for a night before heading to Missouri to visit my grandparents. The boys had fun staying at a hotel and swimming in the pool, so it was a great overnight!

I apologize for how long it took me to post and how few pictures I have. I keep forgetting to carry around my camera. One more thing to work on I guess...

Fall Fun!

2011-10-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

We went to the Oktemberfest parade:

Jack ran in the Fun Run (1/4 mile):

Trip to Carol's Pumpkin Patch for a preschool field trip:

Oh yes, and a not so fun part....a shelf in the bathroom that was up high that just so happen to have my basket of nail polish on it went crashing to the floor in the bathroom. It will require sanding, priming and repainting part of the bathroom. Did I mention this happened 20 minutes before my in-laws came for the weekend?

Never a dull moment here in Iowa!

Jack's Birthday!

2011-10-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe that Jack is 5 years old! Where does the time go? It makes me sad to think that in a year from now he'll be off to kindergarten. Yikes! He is a sweet boy who loves to play with Henry and look out for him. He is very into anything superhero like and is finally thinking that writing his name is okay. He goes to preschool 3 mornings a week and loves it (and I think Steve does too!). He is transitioning from naps to "rest time" so that's kind of weird for me on the weekend. An hour just goes too fast for my nap! :)

We celebrated his birthday over 3 weekends. The first was at Grammy's house. She made a fruit tort and we ate tacos (one of Jack's favorite meals).

For his birthday party Bapa came down to visit so that was fun! Bapa was here for a few days so that was a special treat. Jack was having asthma issues and Bapa left with bronchitis but hopefully he'll still come back!

Grandma and Grandpa Stepec came down for a weekend and we had fun too! Of course Jack got the flu but at least it was a quick bug and we were still able to have fun. A trip to the apple orchard was also had that weekend.

Jack we love you and are such a blessing to our family!

back to school

2011-09-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

We have been back to school for 2 weeks....

Jack started preschool at Sonshine Preschool here in town and goes 3 mornings a week and LOVES it! After I had him all ready to get a new teacher and not have his best friend, Ava, in his class we get to Open House and he has his amazing teacher from last year AND Ava is in his class.

Henry not too excited to be a part of 1st day pictures

notice how Jack wanted to stand in front of my 1/2 dead plants...nice.

sweet brothers

finally at preschool

our Minnesota summer...

2011-09-05T04:46:00.000-07:00

We spent 6 weeks in Minnesota at the lake! It was amazing. The weather was perfect and we couldn't have asked for a better summer. The boys loved swimming everyday, fishing off the dock, going for boat rides and playing in the woods! You would think they live in Iowa where there are no lakes you would want to swim in and are surrounded by corn fields.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our time.

We had or annual 4th of July crew there...20 of us total! It was a blast!

Went to Duluth to visit the Stepecs and were able to sneak down to Canal Park. Makes me miss living in Duluth!

The boys both figured out how to jump off the pontoon!

Paddled around the beach in a raft with Jaxin (probably talking about being pirates or something)

Held Laurin (Jack's favorite thing to do when we saw them)

Spent a week with family

Hung out with friends and laughed so hard we cried...

Thank you for a great summer!

Minnesota!

2011-06-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

We're off to Minnesota and will be out of our house for 6 weeks! Yikes. It will be an adventure that's for sure. Looking forward to some time away and being "unplugged" from the world! Sorry you won't get the daily updates like our Montana trip. It will be random when we go to a place with wireless.

If you need us you know where to find us! :)

Sue

2011-06-25T06:53:00.001-07:00

I should have posted this before we even went to Montana. But just wanted to share how we know Sue. She was one of my mom’s many friends and they met when my mom lived in Montana. My mom had gone out and visited Sue for a week just 2 weeks before the accident. Sue then came back to Minnesota for the funeral and we were able to reconnect. Since then we have exchanged Christmas letters, facebook messages and random phone calls.

Her friendship is such a blessing to me. She reminds me so much of my mom…always laughing, very welcoming to anyone, and just a dear. It was seriously like spending a week with my mom! Amazing. A true blessing.

As I am typing this I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with her and get to know her more. I was so glad she finally got to meet Jack and Henry. They loved her, as we all do!

I miss you already, Sue! I can’t wait for our next phone call or facebook chat!

We LOVE you!

Day 11 - Last day in Montana

2011-06-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last Day on Flathead Lake

We drank coffee outside on the patio, which was one of my highlights. I never got sick of the amazing view! Seriously…..I was in awe! The boys got to go to their favorite playground one last time on the 4 wheeler with Steve.

They like to play restaurant there. It’s a great playground at a little school in Dayton. Jack did the monkey bars all by himself! He came back and told everyone! He was so proud of himself.

I went to Polson by myself to get some snacks for the trip and shopped a downtown at adorable little shops. Everyone was so nice. I met some new friends! It was a refreshing afternoon!

The boys loved to go with Chris to the dump. They were beyond excited when they got to throw the garbage in. Here’s the view from near the dump. Just like in Iowa....yea right!

We were treated to supper at Fazooli’s. It was this great Italian place on the lake. We all got all you can eat spaghetti and meatballs and it came with a ½ pound meatball.

(notice the huge door!)

We finished our last night in style by having a bonfire and roasting s'mores.

I can’t believe it went so fast! We had an amazing vacation and can’t wait to go back. We all miss them already! Many tears were shed as we pulled out of the driveway yesterday.

Day 10 - Flathead Lake

2011-06-22T16:18:00.002-07:00

Flathead Lake Day!

It has been a fabulous day here in Montana! We have been outside playing in the water and relaxing!

Day 9 - Glacier National Park

2011-06-22T14:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to Glacier National Park!

Henry was reading the map for us...yes, it was sideways and backwards.

We went on a hike to Avalanche Lake...it was so muddy! Jack walked the 2 miles into the lake, I couldn't believe it! We carried Henry because he would have been in all the mud and loved every moment of it. They both got carried out or we would still be on the trail.

We saw a black bear on the trail. I couldn't believe it stayed that close.

Avalanche Lake. It was incredible views! The waterfalls were coming off the mountains and you could hear them. There was so much snow left.

Avalanche Gorge

We didn't get to go on Going to the Sun Road because it was still closed from all the snow. So I guess we'll just have to come back out sometime.

We went out to eat at Mackenzie River Pizza Company. It was so yummy! What a treat after hiking all day.

In this cute town on Flathead Lake is a town called Lakeside. They have this decoy police car and policeman sitting in it. I couldn't believe it! I laughed so hard I was crying. Check out his mustache and glasses. Not to mention the car says "Lakeside Decoy". They move the car every so often. Can you imagine that job? Slide over the mummy and change locations.

Day 8 - Whitefish Mountain/Hungry Horse Dam

2011-06-22T14:35:00.001-07:00

We drove to Whitefish Mountain to go on the alpine slides and ride the chairlifts. Well, it was raining so no alpine slides but we still got to ride the chairlifts. The boys loved it! I guess that means they are ready for skiing! Maybe this winter?

We also drove to Hungry Horse Dam. It was amazing how far down that goes. Jack and the boys loved the waterfalls. Henry was again wondering if we packed his swimsuit.

Waterfalls at Hungry Horse

View from the top of Hungry Horse Dam.

We finished off the day with Huckleberry Ice Cream at a sweet shop. The boys were so well behaved that the store owner gave them a little stuffed bear. Melt my heart! They have been so good on this vacation I can't believe it!

Day 7 - Brunch, Camp Tuffit and Hot Springs

2011-06-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was great! Wanda (another one of my mom's friends) came up for the day. We had a lot of fun and good laughs with her. We went to brunch at Lake Mary Ronan Resort for a great breakfast and walked around a bit. It was very yummy!

After breakfast we went to Camp Tuffit. It was this sweet resort area....they had a building with a pool table, a building with ping pong, a cafe, etc. and it was all outdoors. Not to mention on a lake with mountains all around it. We saw some great RV/Camper set ups and funny signs posted all over. Here is an example of cabin that people rent. Isn't it like stepping back in time?

We came home and grabbed our swimsuits and headed up to Hot Springs. It was the perfect way to end Father's Day and relax a bit. The boys loved it! They swam and swam.

Oh, I almost forgot about a stop at the dump. Henry and Jack loved that! Henry came home and was playing dump at Sue's house.

Jack also finally got to go meet the neighbors. He has been asking Sue all about her neighbors, etc. They were finally there last night and they Jack got to meet them. He was going to go over there by himself!

Day 6 - Drive around Flathead Lake

2011-06-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today we drove around Flathead Lake. Amazing! That's all I kept thinking. We spent some time in a great town called Big Fork. It was raining on and off, but we didn't care. Henry really didn't care. He was wondering where his swimsuit was to play in the fountain. He did get soaked, and I luckily found a pair of pants on a clearance rack...kind of hideous and the wrong size, so we called them his pirate pants.

We had amazing coffee and cookies at a place called Brookies Cookies and they had a great backyard where we could sit and listen to the river.

We finished off the day with a spaghetti supper outside on the patio...and of course the boys went swimming when it was 53 degrees outside. I was watching them in my fleece jacket and finally made them come in when I was too cold to stay out any longer!

Day 5 - Flathead Lake (yesterday)

2011-06-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a nice cool day here in Montana. We walked down to a small down a couple miles down the road and checked out the sailboats, checked out forklifts, and played at a park. It felt so good to go for a walk and move after sitting in the car ALL day yesterday.

The boys thought they would go for a swim today, keep in mind that it was 60 degrees outside and the water was freezing. They did play in the rocks and wanted to be outside. But who could blame them! :)

We all rested or took naps and then went out for supper at a very yummy brewery in Lakeside.

Tomorrow we're off to drive around the lake and stop at little towns along the way.

Day 4 - Driving through Montana

2011-06-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

We drove 12 hours, well 13 if you're counting stops from Rapid City to Dayton, Montana! The boys (yes, all 3 of them!) did very well. I couldn't believe it. I think Steve and I were more antsy in the car then they were.

Here is a picture of our route. Yes, it did feel like it went on forever!

Henry was using his licorice for logs when he was playing with his trucks...but I can't get the pictures to cooperate! So I will see if I can get it to work when I have more patience.

Day 3 - Rapid City

2011-06-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day today too! Of course we were up early and ready to go since now we're in Mountain Time Zone. We had a day filled with all kinds of new adventures...

First we were off to Mount Rushmore. I went when I was in high school, but it is so different to go now that I'm all grown up! :) It is incredible. It was fun to teach Jack the names and live it through his eyes. He was so amazed and kept telling me that he finally got to see Mount Rushmore for real!

Our second part of our adventure was to Custer State Park. I also went through this on a family vacation (when you traveled with my mom you held nothing back!). So Jack was set with his binoculars and Henry was fast asleep when we came across the first herd of buffalo. There is no way you could miss those things...they were huge! It was so funny to see them roaming through campgrounds and resorts. We also saw and hugged (Jack) a burro. Talk about some friendly animals!

Buffalo herd behind Jack

Taken from view van window. I need to learn a little more about the buffalo....they are so fascinating looking!

Jack hugging a burro. Still can't believe he did that!

Last night in a hotel tonight! Until the journey home...tomorrow we're off to Montana! Can't wait!

Day 2 - Badlands and Wall Drug

2011-06-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

We went to the Badlands and Wall Drug today! They were both a lot of fun in many different ways!

We drove through the Badlands, and got out randomly to look around and climb a few things. At first it was raining and really cold. It did stop enough so we could climb around without being totally covered in mud. Henry kept calling them sandcastles. So cute! They also saw a snake that they thought was pretty cool. What an incredible place!

Wall Drug....Henry saw a sign for a donut on the interstate about 50 miles before we got there, so that's what he had on his mind the entire time. We had some free water, climbed around in the backyard and took lots of pictures of Jack with his head on different scenes (which he thinks is so funny).

Jack riding the horse at Wall Drug.

Henry riding the horse.

Henry finally getting his donut.

A picnic supper at our hotel on the window seat. It's the smallest room it has no table....but such a great deal! :)

Day 1 - Mitchell, SD

2011-06-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am writing this from Mitchell, SD. We left home this morning around 10 and got here around 5 with a couple stops. We played at a playground, ran laps around a rest area and finished off our travels at the Corn Palace.

Our hotel has a waterslide and a kiddy pool area. The boys both LOVED the waterslide. They wore Steve and I out since we each had to go up with the boys.

Tomorrow we're off to Wall Drug, Badlands and ultimately a hotel in Rapid City. Hopefully will be another fun day!

Adventure...

2011-06-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today we're off on a "family adventure" as Jack would say! We're headed out west for a couple weeks to spend time with friends. Our final destination is Glacier National Park to visit Sue. Sue was a dear friend of my moms for many years. We got to know each other during the funeral in 2005 and have remained in contact since. She has been asking us to come out since then and we're thrilled that it finally worked out. One of the many perks of being a teacher! A bonus this summer is that Steve is off too. Sweet!

Will try to post and share as we travel...

Super Dad

2011-06-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Steve has had a new role in our family this year....Super Dad! He was the stay at home dad, and we all loved it! Here are a few things that were on the job description for that:

- taxi driver to preschool and swim lessons
- cook
- grocery shopper
- laundry
- playing with boys
- cleaning
- tech support for my grad classes and school projects
- family banker/bill payer

He has done an amazing job! We are so blessed to have him as our dad and husband!

We love you! Summer vacation here we come!

Jack

2011-06-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Jack finished preschool this spring. We are so proud of him and how much he loves to learn letters, numbers and try to figure things out. It's really fun to watch him write. He uses his left hand for the first couple letters and then switches to his right hand to finish the word. I should try to get it on video sometime. He does all sports and stuff with his left hand, which is annoying to try and find little kids baseball mitts or golf clubs for left-handed kids!

He loves swimming lessons and has become a great swimmer! Can't wait to see what the summer brings with swimming in the lakes and pools!

Jack loves to play with his superheroes and are often found saving the day in various parts of the house. He has had fun riding his bike this spring, and always wants to be going somewhere. He loves to meet new people and will meet all the kids at the park and know their names before it's time to leave, he must get that from Grandma Nancy! :)

Jack prefers to be in bed by 8:00 and get up early and enjoy the morning. He is usually up with me before I went to school and we would spend some sweet time together while Steve and Henry slept.

He is such a trooper with his asthma/allergy stuff. He takes his meds (even when they taste yucky) without complaining and when he is sick he is so easy going. He loves his doctor and walks in like they are his long lost friends.

He can't wait to head to Minnesota this summer. He often tells me how he has been thinking about Minnesota and the lake, cabin, beach, etc. Me too Jack!

I can't believe he is going to be 5 in September! Amazing!

We love you, Jack!

Henry

2011-06-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Our delightful 2 year old...

Henry has been wearing his cape around for 3 weeks straight. He wears it everywhere! HyVee, park, naps, around the house, library, etc. At least he wore pants. One day he told me that Batman doesn't wear pants, so he went around in his diaper. Too funny! The neighbors got a good laugh out of that.

Last Friday Henry told us he is wearing underwear, he has and has only had a handful of accidents since. Amazing! Not exactly my timing as we're getting ready to head to Montana and out west for a couple weeks. Oh well, one more thing to add to the adventure!

Batman driving the van, while the rest of the family was cleaning it!

Doing some grocery shopping at the Iowa Children's Museum.

Henry loves playing by himself and has a great imagination. He flips every time he sees and excavator or impact hammer....or any type of big truck! He is a great sleeper with a 2-3 hour nap and then to bed by 8 and up at 7:30 or so. Love it!

We love you Henry!

just keep swimming...

2011-05-29T06:01:00.001-07:00

just keep swimming....that's my motto at this time of the year! I promise to get better at posting things, 1 more week with students and have a garage sale and I will be ready for summer, and catching up on things like my blog.

blog

2011-05-03T18:59:00.001-07:00

Check out this sweet blog that my cousin, Lena, writes.

http://rootandblossom.com/

Lena is my cousin, she was close in age to Lindi (I think). I LOVE following her blog it makes me feel like we're connected again while living many states apart.

I wish I had some fun pictures of when we were really young and spent time together in Minnesota, but unfortunately those are up at my dad's house. Lena made the sweetest book in memory of my mom and sister that is in Minnesota. I was just looking through it when we were up for Easter.

By the way, if you're looking for something to make check out the recipe tab. Yum! Next on my list is 'Mama's Brag Worthy Pancakes'.

Monster Feet

2011-04-27T04:35:00.000-07:00

My 6th graders saved our Kleenex boxes so we could make monster feet with Jack and Henry.

Here's the process in pictures:

After Steve covered the openings with purple duct tape, the boys got to paint them. Jack was a little neat in his painting:

Henry had mixed all his paint into a big mess, but his boxes turned out cute!

Finished product:

Soccer playing monster feet...

Too much fun!

Easter Eggs

2011-04-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our Easter plans changed at the last minute. We traveled up to Cook for the long weekend, but before we left we had to have Easter with Kim. She came over for supper and we dyed Easter eggs. Too much fun. Since we don't eat hard boiled eggs, or I should say I am the only one who will eat them I decided to dye raw eggs. What's the worse case, a broken egg? We only broke 3 eggs so that's not too bad. And yes, dumped over one of the colors of dye. Here are some pictures from our fun evening.
Henry just used his hands...

Jack's serious look...

They came with bonus shrink wrap....we used the blow dryer to get them to stick...

Final product...

Dancing with the Stepecs

2011-04-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

This is a crazy dance invented by some UNI guys. You will typically see it during a UNI game and now in the Stepec home. We showed it to the boys and they just love doing the dance.

love

2011-04-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

jack wrote me a message in the driveway...

homemade bread

2011-04-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

I know how to make 1 kind of homemade bread that was one of my mom's specialties. At least according to us kids and my dad!

oatmeal molasses bread

yum!

spring break...2 weeks later!

2011-04-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

We had a week off for Spring Break...of course our plans had to change due to sick kids. And I mean sick! Gross-ness for 5 days straight coming out all ends! Yuck! The worst was Henry didn't move or walk for an entire day. Poor fella. Despite the kids being sick, we had a great time relaxing, watching movies, making yummy food and hanging out and going no where! It was such a treat for me to stay in my pjs drinking coffee as long as I wanted during the day. Oh yes, and I did treat myself to a day out with a friend shopping and out for lunch.

We did make it to Iowa City for a few days. We helped Gary and Grammy take down wallpaper, went for walks, played with the toys, went to a puppet show and played at their fun mall. We basically destroyed there house, came down with the flu and left! Here are some pictures from our time there...

celebrating birthdays with Grammy and Gary!
Can you say grumpy kids?

present helpers

our time at the mall

tortillas...

2011-03-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

I work with the best people! We have so much fun together. My friend, Francie, made homemade tortillas with her class one afternoon and was kind enough to send home the extra and her tortilla press for my boys to try it. First I had to get a lesson at school so I knew what I was doing. It was really fun! I'm glad I know how to do this...

Thank you, Francie!

my y tri

2011-03-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Nels and my dad came down to celebrate Nels turning 27! Steve and Nels also did the My Y Tri at our YMCA. Their goal was to not stop or die, and they both met that goal! My dad and I took the boys to the mall for the Preschool Day so we had no part in the Tri.

matching shirts...

nice numbers...

We also had some birthday cake. I love this picture of Knuckles and his helpers!

We love you Knuckles!

Christie

2011-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Christie, was able to come and spend some time with us in Iowa. We had a great time! My highlight was spending the night in Des Moines at a hotel. It was so relaxing and fun to catch up and giggle! Steve (aka "Super Dad") stayed with the boys so we could get away. She is such a blessing to my family and I. She is preparing to move to Africa at the end of the month, and I am going to miss her like crazy.

We celebrated her birthday early, and Steve made a special brownie for her.

We love you Christie!

Henry's Birthday

2011-02-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

(please don't mind Henry's band-aid...he also has a love for band-aids, I know nice right on his cheek!)
I can't believe Henry is already 2! Wow! Where does the time go? He is such a joy. His favorite things to do are to play trucks, sleep with lots of toys and pack things in bags. Seriously I think he could be on the show Hoarders! He has a TON of stuff he hides in his crib and sleeps with. He also hides things in the couch pillows, recliner, and anywhere else he can think of. Whenever we don't know where something in the house is we ask Henry.
We celebrated Henry's birthday on his birthday with our family. Jack had a blast going to the store and picking out things for Henry. He picked out chocolate donuts since those are Henry's favorite.

For Henry's present he bought him a shopping cart. Jack could hardly wait for Henry to open his things. Too cute! Our tradition is the birthday person gets to pick what the family eats for supper (a tradition my mom started with us when we were kids). For Henry we had homemade Mac&Cheese and broccoli. Henry LOVES broccoli. Steve made cupcakes for us to eat for dessert. Kim joined us too! Or "Tim" as Henry calls her.

Just this past weekend we had Henry's party. The Bolands, Kim, Bapa and Knuckles came. It was a fun night! We had pizza for supper and then Steve's amazing cake....Monster Truck! It was a great weekend, I didn't cook at all...my kind of weekend.

Jan 2011

2011-01-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

We have had a busy month...but have managed to sneak in a little time to play in the snow and make snow ice cream.

We also celebrated Henry's birthday, but we're hoping to have his party this weekend so I will write a post about that once I get more pictures of his special cake that Steve will make. Always a fun surprise!

Family Picture...

2010-12-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

We attempted a family picture....but this time it was Jack who just woke up and was not ready for our picture! At least we can say we tried.

Christmas

2010-12-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We have been in Cook since Wednesday night late when we made our journey north! The boys were great travelers and slept for some of the time (and yes I took a nap too!).

We celebrated Christmas with my dad and brother on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Dad made some yummy food for us to eat and we have been entertained with going for walks, having coffee with friends and snowshoeing! The boys love playing with my brother's old toys. The adults have also had some good laughs about PeeWee Herman, Chuck Norris and Karate Kid to name a few.

Tomorrow we head down to Duluth for a couple nights and to celebrate Christmas with the Stepecs. Should be lots of fun with all the little kids running around!

Here are some pictures to share:

Henry and Sawyer have had a lot of fun playing together, and are looking forward for more time to hang out!

Christmas Eve Henry scored a forklift from Knuckles....a big hit for everyone!

Going to bed Christmas Eve night in their matching pjs. Can you find Henry in his crib? He is in love with Lindi's Care Bears and has to sleep with both of them. This was before Henry had us up at 4:00am sick to his stomach!

Jack loves to sleep on the cot at the end of the bed. Too cute!

We are really blessed and have had a wonderful time with family and looking forward to more "Minnesota Fun"!

I'm back...

2010-12-09T18:13:00.001-08:00

Here's a catch up in pictures....

September (jack turned 4! can't believe it!)

October (i had 3 batmans at my house)

November (Steve and I went to a wedding and the boys wanted to be in our picture)

December (getting ready for Christmas)

Trial

2010-11-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Plain and boring I know but is the box gone? That's the real test I guess!

given up?

2010-11-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

just curious I've you've lost hope that I would ever blog again? seriously as soon as I can get my pictures to cooperate on our Dell Desktop that we saved up for and bought 8 years ago. What a beast of a computer! But it's still kicking...so I guess I shouldn't complain.

anyone know how to get this silly box to not be on the middle of my blog?

Back to school

2010-09-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Jack and I on our first day of school. Jack started preschool at Sonshine and LOVES it! I went back to Lenihan to teach 6th grade, and it's been a great start to the year, but I can't say i love it (or at least not yet!).

July 27th

2010-07-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

I just don't even like the sound of that date. 5 years, has it really been that long? Sometimes it seems like it was just 5 months ago and sometimes it seems like forever. As I sit here and type this out (which I needed to do, so sorry if it's rambling) I am still sad. Sometimes I just can't even believe they are gone. People often ask if it's gotten easier, well I wouldn't say easier but I would say different. Things are different, life is different. I miss them terribly when people are off doing fun things with their mom or sister(s)...I think about what kinds of things the three of us would be doing, or our entire family for that matter. (Don't get me wrong...I have amazing, wonderful friends who are more like sisters, and an Aunt who is more like my mom than an Aunt...for all of them I am very thankful.)

The boys, would have loved them to pieces and they would have loved my boys. It does still sadden me that they will never meet them here on this earth. I never chose my life to be like this, and when I was younger and thinking about life this was never a part of my story. Sorry to make this sound sad and depressing, I'm really doing okay.

I love you and miss you like crazy, Mom and Lindi!!

change.

2010-07-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Change. I know it has to happen in life, but my question is why does it have to be so hard? I like to tell myself I'm good with change. But I guess I'm really not.

After a lot of thought and prayer, our lives are about to change a lot. Steve has resigned from his current job, and will take over as "Stay-at-home Dad Extraordinaire" while I go back to work. It has all been a God thing because I got my old job back, in my old classroom with my friend teaching across the hall. It will be good (I think) to get back into teaching and be around people I enjoy.

It's just hard to say good-bye to the people at church. We have been going there for the past 6 1/2 years and have established great relationships. I know they don't have to change, but I know they will. Steve's last Sunday is August 1st. If you could pray for us as we make this transition we would appreciate it.

4th of July!

2010-07-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

We went up to the lake for our week of fun over the 4th of July. I think there were about 18 of us for a few meals. It's always the highlight of my summer, and the weather this year was amazing!! Only 1 night/morning did it really rain...enough to knock out the power in the cabins and left Steve to shower in the rain that was pouring off the garage. The boys loved it and were in and out of the water a ton of times each day. We're excited to head back up there next week and will be there for a few weeks.
Henry and Sawyer eating some M&M's....just like their moms!! :)

Group Shot!

Jack and Henry loved the rafts. Who doesn't?

We are already looking forward to our next year's 4th of July celebration. We're thinking of adding a new element...."Lake Vermilion's Got Talent"....I better go get practiced up!

Happy Birthday Steve!

2010-07-12T11:28:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Steve's birthday on Saturday and Sunday night...we like 2 night celebrations here at our house!

Here are some pictures from the events!

The boys picked out their presents for Steve...well Jack picked out both! Jack gave Steve body wash and a new scrubbie for the shower, and Henry went nuts over the Elmo shirt! Steve is thinking about taking it back, don't you think it looks good on him?

Sunday night we went to our friends' house and they spoiled Steve and make yummy BBQ ribs! And they gave him a sweatshirt he really wanted when we were at the lake.

VBS

2010-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week was Vacation Bible School at church. Jack's favorite part was helping dad lead the singing. The last night Henry and I joined in the fun, and I couldn't keep Henry off the stage either! If only Henry would have looked at the camera.

M&M's

2010-06-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

We are very serious M&M eaters at our house. We learned from Grandma Nancy! She LOVED M&M's.

We have the clean faces to prove it!

Jester Park

2010-06-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

We went last week to Jester Park with out friends after Henry's ENT appointment in Des Moines. It was so much fun! We will for sure be going back sometime...

Here are some pictures of our day there:

Henry the fearless one! He loved the waterfall and pond they could swim in.

Jack loved this old log they had to climb through. At one point he was pretending it was McDonalds and we could come and order at the window.

boys...

2010-05-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Can anyone say road rash?

Weekend-O-Fun!

2010-05-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Last Thurs-Saturday we met our Cook friends in the cities. We always look forward to this time together....it seems we go once in the fall and then try again for spring. We met at a hotel that had a kid slide/pool, a huge hotel room (due to our fan not working), and Culvers in the parking lot! Who can beat that? Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

Henry on the slide.

We went to an indoor playground/gym that was amazing. The boys ran and ran. It was a perfect outing thing no a rainy day!

We all braved the zoo on a freezing day, but the crowds weren't bad!! :)

Henry loved the farm part of the zoo.

It was a great weekend, and I can't wait for our next adventure! How about camping? Are we that brave?

Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Every Mother's Day I have to go through my sad moment(s) about how much I miss my mom and how much she still means to me. I just miss her like crazy and would love to be able to pick up the phone and call her and tell her all the funny things that Jack says, or how Henry just melts my heart. I never imagined in a million years that I would be raising my kids without my mom's advice or guidance. She was the best mom ever! I have a lot of work to do to be half the mom to my kids that she was for us. She taught us how to talk to anyone, eat lots of chocolate, be outside, go for lots of walks, downhill ski, how to have fun no matter what you were doing....and most importantly how to love Jesus!

(The only picture I have on my computer of my mom, without going through multiple CDs)

Okay, on to the happier side of the day...

I was given a new camera lens for a gift, which I've had a lot of fun playing with today...given two adorable boys who didn't want to cooperate for a picture (that's what I get for putting them in matching shirts I guess!).
Try #1:

Try #2:

Give up and take pictures of them doing what they both love...

I also got to take a nap, while the boys washed the van inside and out!

I am so blessed.

Spring!

2010-05-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

Spring in Iowa is one of my favorite seasons....like today it's going to be 82 and sunny! Who can beat that? Flowers are planted, grass is growing, and the house is slowly getting cleaned for the season. It reminds me of growing up how we had to wash the walls, clean closets, etc. with my mom! Memories...

Here are some fun pictures to show what we've been up to.

We went up to Pine Lake State Park and Steve ended up carrying both boys for a bit...one on the front and one on the back!

Bike rides....Henry's helmet is a bit of a disaster!

Lots of time at playgrounds! It's my secret weapon to wear them out so they get take good naps and go to bed early! Henry is fearless...so that keeps me on my toes at the playground, but he has a blast!

Off to get a few things done while Henry takes his morning nap...and before we head to yet another playground!

africa

2010-04-24T19:05:00.001-07:00

(Christie and I in a village...note the "bath water" on the side of the log)

okay, I know it's taken me over a month to write this post....my trip to Africa is just too hard to put into words. I think I'm going to make a list with some pictures that go along with them, or in some cases let the pictures speak for themselves. So hold on, cause here I go...

I'll start with the "challenging" things:

- Seeing Child Labor in action. Being the first white people in a village. All at one stop. The kids were digging in the dirt and carrying huge bags of sand on their heads. We're not talking 10 years old, I mean like 4 or 5. Seriously, they didn't look much older than Jack. They were mining for diamonds. Sick. I had to look away and not think about what was going on, or I thought I was going to burst out in tears right there. That changed me.

- We also saw a lot of homes that were destroyed by the rebels. It is sad to see the homes destroyed which means families were separated and children were left orphaned. That changed me.

- Seeing how many kids were not in school, not to mention how corrupt the education system is. The kids have to pay to hand in assignments, in some schools. That changed me.

- Transporting a pregnant lady in labor (due to an ambulance getting a flat tire), who speaks no English and then we get a flat tire. We successfully made it to the hospital, which the hospital is an entire different story. That changed me.

Now for some "amazing" things:
- Kids smiles, and appreciation for everything.

- Seeing Christie in her home.

- Riding a honda for 30 cents. This was by far my favorite part!

- Just how fun a laser light is to people that have never seen one.

- How good a cold Coke tastes when it's so hot (even the Africans were telling me it was hot)

- How fun a balloon is to a kid who has no other toys.

- River #2, a beach in paradise! Amazing.

If you made it this far, please know that because of my trip to Africa...I am changed.

Saying goodbye to Christie. Miss her.

wow.

2010-03-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I leave for Africa tomorrow morning. I never in a million years would have predicted this! I am very excited to have this opportunity. Am I nervous to leave the boys? No, I am not. The boys will be spoiled while I am away. Grammy and Steve will be with them, along with numerous other friends!

I hope to take a lot of pictures, and come back with stories to tell! Off to get a few more things done before I leave...but not before I post a picture of my suitcase.

This gem was 2$ at the goodwill, and not to mention the bumper sticker it came with! I did take the sticker off as Steve assured me it was a bit obnoxious and I did want my suitcase to make it to Africa. But how do I drag it through the London airport you might ask? Why with Saylor's leash of course! It does have wheels but didn't come with a strap...so we invented our own. Too bad I didn't get a picture of Jack dragging the suitcase, Henry following behind, and the dog wondering what in the world was going on with her leash! All this craziness is going to make me really appreciate being able to sit and read a book on our long flights!

Oh yes, and the boys were given not 1 but 2 large boxes and they have been a variety of things over the past few days, but my favorite by far was Jack's office.

And one boy couldn't be in the box without the other one wanting to join in...

kitchen

2010-01-26T08:29:00.001-08:00

My mom and sister would be so proud!

It is so special for me to watch my boys play with my sister's play kitchen. I remember when she would play with it. If only she were still here to play with the kitchen!

Jack's afternoon nap

2010-01-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Here is what I find when I go check on how naps are going...I'm not sure what's worse...the dog sleeping on our bed or her head on my pillow! Agh...

Henry's 1!

2010-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Henry is one! Crazy how fast time goes! Here are some pictures from his birthday party that we had last night.

He got a Cozy Coupe car from us, so that will be fun if the snow ever melts! He also got his favorite thing in the whole world....a ball (well a wide assortment of them) from our friends.

We had fun making his birthday cake. We made a Rainbow Cake! It even turned out, which was the best surprise.

He was a little shy when we were all singing for him.

He didn't make as big of a mess as I thought he would. It took him a minute to get the hang of it.

What a fun night! Well, maybe too much fun for a one year old!?

Lasagna anyone?

2010-01-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Iowa

2010-01-04T11:17:00.001-08:00

Here is the replay of our Christmas this year:

Jack was in the Christmas Program at church and did an excellent job! What a little character up there! He had fun and it was a good thing I put them in their matching outfits because our Christmas Eve service was canceled because of the weather.

My dad and brother came down early because of the weather and we enjoyed a relaxing, quiet week with them. The boys ventured out to some movies and we did get a little shopping in, my dad is becoming quite the shopper! Jack was thrilled he got a GeoTrax from my dad that connects to his other one that he got in Duluth! I also think Steve has had just as much fun with it as Jack!

We made a birthday cake for Jesus!
The Lavine side wasn't able to make it over for Christmas so I took the boys there for a few days and was able to hang out with Linda, Gary, Laura, Craig, Kate and Aidan. It was so fun to meet sweet baby Aidan. Now there are 3 little boys around. Linda and Gary also blessed us by watching all 3 kids so we could go shopping alone! That was such a treat! Thank you! I didn't get any fun pictures to share of our time there. I'll see what I can do.

Children's Museum

2009-12-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

On our way home from Duluth we made a stop at the Minnesota Children's Museum. It was so much fun! Nels came and met us for some afternoon excitement. I thought Henry wouldn't like it as much as Jack, but they both loved it!

Henry's favorite part was playing in the water.

Jack loved the room where you played music on a stage and then you could see yourself on the TV. Nels was also entertained by it I'm sure!

It was a fun day and a great break in our trip home! Thank you Nels for meeting us!

Stepec Christmas

2009-12-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to Duluth to celebrate Christmas with the Stepecs. Here are some pictures of our time:
(I'll try to add more stories, but I wanted to get the pictures on before my helpers get up from their naps!)

Henry, Emery and Jack at our hotel

Trying to get a picture of Jack and Henry in their Christmas pj's...no such luck! All they want to do is tackle each other.

We had our Christmas morning at Seth and Sarah's house, it was crazy with 6 kids and Jack is the oldest at 3 years old! Yikes!

Jack got a GeoTrax train set. He has played with it for hours already and we've only had it a few days. The bonus is that it's even Henry-proof!

We went to Bentleyville, it was freezing but really neat.

basement

2009-10-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

We're in the middle of two large projects at our house. One being painting the outside trim of the house (yuck!) and the other painting the basement. So depending on the weather we always have something to be working on. That's not to mention the cooking, cleaning, children duties, etc. So we're really looking forward to a weekend away next weekend.

Here are pictures of the laundry room in the basement. We have half of it painted, we have to go in stages because we can't be more than a couple days without a washer or dryer. So here are the two different sides of the room. It's amazing what a little paint will do to a place!
The unpainted part:

Painted:

We won't talk about how we had to sleep with the windows open because the floor paint stunk so bad....it was 53 degrees in our house this morning! I told Steve next time it comes time to paint the floor...the boys and I are leaving for a couple days!

okay, okay...

2009-09-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to get this blog updated (finally) I'll just re-cap some of the fun and new things we've been up to at the Stepec house:

- Henry is 8 1/2 months old.Henry is not only crawling, but is able to stand on his own for a few moments. The funny thing is he looks around for who is going to clap and cheer for him while he's standing. Henry also wants to be everywhere Jack is and doing what he is doing. Oh yes, and he climbs stairs.

- Jack survived his 3rd birthday, the celebrations went on for about a week. Too long for a 3 year old I can tell you that much! He got a used play kitchen that was my sister's when she was little so that's been so neat to have here in Iowa. He also got a lot of other fun things.
- We got rid of a white car and got a new white car, only this car is newer and hopefully will last a long time! I prayed to be a stay at home mom, not a stuck at home mom! It was interesting only having one car for a few weeks. Yes, we are spoiled.
- Our schedules have been crazy busy! I'm not sure what we would have done if I was still teaching. We haven't had a free weekend since way back at the beginning of August. We're looking forward to 1 free weekend in October. Don't get me wrong we love having guests and things going on, it's just busy and our boys are very much routine children which makes things interesting.

I'm not going to promise anything about when my next post will be, you'll just have to be surprised!

Duluth

2009-08-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple nights in Duluth visiting Steve's family, the weather was suppose to be yucky the entire time we were there...but it turned out beautiful! Jack had so much fun staying at a hotel, you forget how exciting things like key cards are!

Henry attacking Emery! At least he's smiling! These two are going to have a lot of fun growing up so close in age.

All 6 grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa. Jack is the oldest of the 6. It's crazy when we all get together, there are kids everywhere! (Henry is the one with grandma)

Jack took a few baths a day in the hotel bathtub! He had so much fun playing in the tub with all the fun things a hotel has to offer...travel shampoo, cups, ice buckets, etc.

4th of July Vermilion Trip

2009-08-08T09:15:00.001-07:00

We spent another fun week celebrating the 4th of July! Again, here are some pictures!

Boat not cooperating! But very talented paddlers!

Yum, dirt!

Group picture of everyone who was there.

Steve took Jack and Henry to Ely for a day.

Steve made Jack a drum set out of the sand.

Moosebirds! We went there a couple times during the week, of course.

We took a lot of pictures of Henry for his 6 month pictures, but I need to edit some of them. We also took some more now that he can sit up!

okay, okay...

2009-08-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

We've had an amazing summer with lots of fun adventures to go along with it. In order to catch up to where we are now I'm going to post some pictures and a few highlights...I'm going to attempt to get it all done in one post, but that depends on how long of a nap Henry takes!

Pictures from home:

Steve and the boys in their Africa shirts. Take a good look at Henry because that's the first and last time that shirt is going to fit him!

The best garage sale "purchase" of the summer, a brand new pedicure tub with all sorts of extras. Now we're all set for some porch pedicures!The best thing from the summer garage sales was a free Little Tikes basketball hoop I got.

I look outside one day to see this! Jack and Henry riding in "cars" but they fashioned something for Henry so he would be safe! They were entertained for a long time with that!
Some pool pictures:

home again...

2009-06-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Iowa City on Monday to pick up Jack, and turned around on Tuesday and came home. Good thing it's only a 90 minute drive! Jack had too much fun at Grammy's for the weekend, and it was time to get him back on a routine. He slept a lot the first couple days back!

So basically Henry, Jack and I have been hanging out since. The weather has been pretty rainy, but we did manage to venture to the pool a couple times. The one thing I've had a hard time with is trying to get the lawn mowed. Everytime both boys are sleeping it starts to rain (the past 2 days) and you know what rain does to the grass, makes it grow like crazy! Oh well!

Here is a day in the life of "1 mom and 2 boys" as Jack would say:

Wednesday night:

12:00am--- Thunderstorm starts...dog freaks out and tries to get under the bed. I'm awake. 2:00-3:30 --- dog keeps freaking out and claws out and back under the bed over and over. Thankfully the boys slept through it!

So that was the start to my long day, here is part of the rest:
- Henry pees on me when I change him (he hasn't done this forever)...all over the blanket, clean diaper, my pj's, etc. Not 2 seconds after I get that all cleaned up he spits up all over everything!

- Jack is having a bad day with potty training...somehow proceeds to pee (through his pants) on a couch pillow that thankfully is on the floor. That was one of many accidents through the day.

- Henry is laying on the floor and Jack thinks he needs to use his head as a step to get on the couch! I was so mad at him.

Along with my patience quickly running out...there have been a couple things that make me smile and remind me of why 2 little ones really bring me a lot of joy!

- Jack uses Henry's jumperoo as a microphone, which makes Henry jump all over, or dance as Jack calls it

- A conversation like this after lunch: (while Jack playing his guitar) "Mom, do you know this song...Beat It, Just beat it)". Mom: "yes, I've heard that song before. Jack: "It's Michael Jackson". Mom: "Where did you hear that song?" Jack: "Grammy". And he goes on and sings it for me. He is something else. Just like one day in the car he asked me if the song on the radio was Toby Mac?

- Henry sleeping from 7:30 to 7:00 in the morning! Yes!

Yes, sometimes they kind of entertain each other.

Henry is getting so huge! He has a really long torso. If it buttons like a onesie he is wearing 12 month clothes! Otherwise it's pretty much 9 month size. No matter what he wears he could fit 2 of himself in the outfit because they are so wide! It of course depends on the brand. So I'm washing Jack's summer clothes from when he was 10 months old for Henry (who is only 5 months old)! Crazy!

PS- Come home Steve, we miss you! I can't believe we still have until next Thursday. Good thing Linda is coming back next Monday or I think I would lose my mind.

Week at school...

2009-06-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Grammy came last Monday to stay for the week while I headed back to teach school for 3 days and have a teacher work day on Friday. I typed up a schedule and a list of phone numbers for her to have.

It was SO weird to be headed back to school...walking down the halls, opening my classroom door...just like an old routine. I re-introduced myself to my 6th graders, which they all thought was funny so that broke the ice. They were so quiet when I first got there, it was kind of nice. But that didn't last too long as they all had something to fill me in on (since I was their teacher for 1 1/2 school years before Henry came). Tuesday and Wednesday were days with the students, very long days that is! I was trying to pack up all their junk from over the past 2 years and pack up my stuff too. So it looked like a disaster, but it all came together in the end. On Thursday we took the kids bowling, on a picnic, and to the Aquatic Center. By the time we got back and had 30 minutes or so left in the day they were all sitting in their seats tired! Mission accomplished!

Friday was a teacher work day. The teachers in my neighborhood put on a wonderful shower for Henry, Jamison (another new baby this year) and a bride. So there were three of us getting attention, which was nice because I hate all the attention in situations like that. Henry of course was smiling and cooing for all to see and hear. Henry got a lot of new clothes, and money and giftcards towards a Jumperoo.

Jack left with Linda Friday night and so it's been just Henry and I home! It's been a really nice break. I've been relaxing, getting house stuff done, and all at the same time missing Jack! The house is so quiet without him here.

Africa

2009-06-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is Baindu and Steve...we support Baindu and I am so thankful (and jealous) that Steve gets to see her again! Since I have never met her.

Steve left yesterday morning for Sierra Leone, Africa. He will be gone for 19 days, so my goal is to post every few days just in case Steve would get to check the blog from there or most likely, for him to read when he gets back. Jack just says the funniest things that I want to remember to pass them along for Steve. He also gets to spend a few weeks with my dear friend, Christie who is over there!

Jack was fine yesterday when Steve left, but this morning he came into our room and was upset to see that Steve wasn't there. He told me, "Dad's done in Africa"...well, not exactly since he hasn't even made it there yet.

Grammy Linda came this afternoon since I have to go back to school for 4 days then I will be finished. It will be nice to have all my school stuff moved out of my classroom and all that stuff taken care of. Then the pool will open and summer can really begin!

A month of catch up...

2009-06-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted. I'm going to catch up with some pictures since they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words"!

Enjoy...
Henry's first trip to Minnesota! The boys and I (and my dad...who so kindly drove to Iowa to pick us up, and yes, he was more than thankful to bring us back!)

Throwing rocks in the water at the bridge! A childhood favorite of ours, especially Nels! Here is Jack and Christie and Henry is in the stroller.

Henry and Trisha! I love this picture! Too bad Henry has drool falling from his face.

Jack and Steve washing the van after our first trip to the pool! Well, Jack is washing his shoes I guess!
Last, but not least...Henry eating rice cereal for the first time. He loved it! He had it all down his back and even in his belly button! Gross!

Birthday...

2009-05-11T18:36:00.001-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday. I miss her like crazy! Her birthday always falls close to Mother's Day so that's another reminder to me. I won't say it's any easier now...but it is different. I wish my boys could have met her here on earth. They would love her, and she would love and spoil them like crazy! It will be fun as they get older to share crazy stories about her with them. I wish I could pick up the phone or e-mail her and tell her all the little things that happen, especially now with the kids.

I am very thankful for all the "grandmas and aunties" that my boys have in their lives! God has really blessed us with amazing people to share this journey with.

Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

(trying to get 2 boys to look at the camera didn't work out so well...)
When I got downstairs on Sunday morning, the boys had me listen to something and it was Jack saying, "Happy Mother's Day" on a recording. I soon figured out it was coming from our stereo. Lone behold there sat a sweet pink i-pod all for me! What a special surprise! I love it! Steve and Jack had recorded a video of Jack telling me Happy Mother's Day!

After church, I took a good nap (that was my goal!), then we went out for dinner for Ruth's birthday. Jack loves birthdays. He wants to sing for everyone and give them presents. He did get over the fact that not everyone celebrates their birthday at McDonalds, so at least that's progress!

Speaking of progress, another thing I appreciate is that Jack is wearing underwear! Having one in diapers is sure nice! He's done a great job so far...even dry some nap times and at night (I'm sure you all wanted to know!).

I hope everyone had a great day!

New Career!

2009-05-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

I am officially a stay at home mom! Yipee! I do have to go back and teach the last 4 days of school this year, to finish my contract. But I will not be returning for next year. Our district is cutting positions, so I decided that I'm saving some poor 1st year teacher her job! I'm so excited to be able to spend more time investing in raising my own kids! Challenging, I know...but worth it! At least I'll give it a try and see how I like it. Okay, to be honest I just got done filling out a job application for my next job! I'm going to teach the parent/tot swim class at our local YMCA. The bonus is that if I work 1 hour a week I get my family membership for free! Who can pass that up? I'll teach 1 class a week to start with. We'll see if they talk me into getting my Lifeguard Certification again...

new camera...

2009-04-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

new camera, means lots of random pictures! Hope you enjoy!

Henry is a bit dramatic!

Jack the little monkey.

Jack's bike from Bapa for Christmas...finally made it out of the basement! We love the handle!

I have some funny stories to tell...but we have a small issue with water in our basement so once I get that under control I'll try to write more! I was just telling a friend this morning that I was going to Spring Clean one room at a time and go through the entire house...but I was going to do the basement last! Agh...
Have a great week!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

(no, there is not a binky in Jack's mouth!...agh...)

Friday night my dad and brother came down from Minnesota. They weren't here but a few minutes and we headed out the door to El Portal (amazing Mexican food!) and then went to our Good Friday Service (which Steve did a good job with!).

Saturday morning we went for a walk, raked the yard, etc. while we had 2 extra people around here. Jack was attached to "Knuckles" (aka Uncle Nels) side all weekend, so that was like having free daycare. Linda and Gary came over from Iowa City around noon and we had our Easter dinner. We basically hung out the rest of the day...naps, golfing, Jack hunted for Easter eggs in the back yard, and ate some more.
Henry with bunny ears that Grammy Linda made!

Today we headed to church and came home and ate leftovers. The Minnesota crew headed back in the early afternoon and we've just been relaxing since, well as relaxing as you can be with 2 little ones! The evening was going all too well, until Jack puked in the bathtub! Agh...swallowed too much water I think since he's been fine since.

Steve and Henry in their Easter outfits...Jack was taking a nap.

The boys with their Easter buckets full of treasures! Jack got play food, Wall-E, and a couple footballs from Bapa. Oh yes, and Pinnocio from Knuckles. Henry got a shirt for swimming and a hat, and a laptop activity thing from Bapa.

Okay, okay...

2009-04-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

No excuses...just things are a little busier around here with 2 little munchkins than it was with 1! Things are going really well. We've had a few colds, fevers, etc. which is to be expected around here.

My dad and brother are on their way down from Minnesota this afternoon for our Easter weekend activities! Should be a good time. Easter weekend always goes so fast, but we'll enjoy the time we have.

I thought I'd just post some pictures...I really want to try to get better at this and blog once a week or so...hopefully that can happen! I just have a long list of things to do when both boys are down for a nap...yes, sometimes I just nap myself or read my book with no one bothering me!

Steve and Henry ready to go for a walk! Henry looks like a green monster in the Bjorn!

Henry is 3 months old today! Time just flies by!

We went to Iowa City for a couple days and celebrated Grammy Linda and Uncle Gary's birthdays. Jack is facinated with birthdays!

My new trick to give 2 boys a bath at the same time!

Nothing is better than a clean baby!

Random Pictures...

2009-02-25T13:14:00.000-08:00

Jack got himself ready for outside...nice frog boots on the wrong feet, hat with an ear sticking out!

Jack picked out his outfit this morning so he could be a Wiggle! Agh...when is it going to end with this Wiggle stuff?

A family picture, not in the hospital!

Henry and his long arms!

Bapa and the boys...yes mom put Jack and Henry in matching outfits! Nerdy, I know!

Up-date!

2009-02-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

We got out of the hospital on Saturday morning! Praise the Lord! It was a VERY long 3 nights! This week we've been hanging out at home, relaxing, etc in hopes to not catch anything else!

RSV

2009-02-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a cute picture of Jack and Henry in their football jammies (or "zippy jammies" as Jack calls them)

My goal was to post an entry this week, however I was hoping to post some fun pictures and things...but last night we brought Henry into the ER for some breathing concerns to find out he has RSV and we're in the ICU in the Marshalltown Hospital. We'll be here for a few days. Maybe I can get some pictures put together and actually do a post since they have internet here.

Better go and cuddle my sweet boy.

"The Story"

2009-01-13T05:33:00.000-08:00

Many people have been asking and thinking that I wasn't due until February. So I thought I'd add some more info to our blog. My due date was February 2nd, but as many people might remember from my last pregnancy Jack was 5 weeks early. So I was wondering if I was going to make it to the end or if this baby was going to follow in Jack's footsteps.

Well, I had gone back to teaching after Christmas and made it all week! On Thursday I had my regular weekly appointment and she was concerned because I didn't feel the baby move as much as I had been. I also had some weird pains in my stomach. I was sent over to the hospital to be monitored...everything looked fine, except the weird pain I was experiencing was contractions. They weren't very strong or close together so they said it could be either Braxon Hicks or early labor.

I went home and got up and taught school the next day. We had gone to bed on Friday night thinking nothing of it when I woke up at 10:30 to go to the bathroom and my water broke. It was like I was re-living Jack's birth. Off to the hospital we went. We checked in and got all set up and were suppose to sleep and the doctor would be in to check in the morning. At 7:30 the next morning I was put on Petocin (sp?) to get things started. It was pretty uneventful until the end when he wasn't cooperating. They had to use the vacuum thing and come to find out he was face up and the cord was around his neck. So we are very thankful that he is okay and doing so well.

Henry Richard Stepec was born at 1:33pm weighing 7 pounds 6 1/2 ounces. He was 20 3/4 inches long. I think he would have been a moose if he made it to full term!

We were able to come home on Monday morning in an Iowa blizzard. Saylor and I are officially outnumbered in our house. I better start getting prepared for more basketball games and guitar playing in the years to come!

It's a BOY... Henry Richard Stepec

2009-01-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

One big happy family!

Big brother Jack and Henry

Henry Richard Stepec
Weight 7.65
Length 20.3/4

Daddy and Henry

Mommy and Henry

Last days of vacation!

2009-01-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

So I find myself sitting here thinking...I can't believe I have to go back to work on Monday. Yuck! At least I only have to go back for a month at the most, and then I'll be off for the rest of the year. So I thought I'd better post tonight with some pictures of things we've done over break since the craziness will soon begin!

We had a wonderful Christmas Break. Steve had some vacation days left, so he was around a lot of it so that was a special treat for the 3 of us to do things together. My dad and brother came back for Christmas so that was fun. Jack was so excited this year about presents! He thinks Santa only gives candy canes, so we made sure to put a candy cane in his stocking and his mouth dropped open! He had fun opening presents, and was trying to figure out why they weren't all for him. The Lavine side came over for a night, but of course Iowa weather (ice/sleet/snow) came in and they ended up leaving early the next morning. Bummer! That's what we get for trying to do Christmas in Iowa instead of warm and sunny Arizona where we usually have it.

Knuckles and Jack swimming at the Y. We wore Jack right out since he swam for almost 2 hours!

We took Jack to the Iowa Children's Museum for a day, and he loved it! He had fun playing in the grocery store, and the cash register. It was a great day! I can't wait to take him back.

To sum up our break...relaxing would be the word! No one would get out of bed until almost 8:00, and we had no place to rush off to. It was a well needed break from our crazy lives!

Pictures

2008-12-23T10:35:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving and Stepec Christmas:

Donut Face:

Knuckles and Jack playing basketball in the bathtub!

Jack helped set up the nativity set, notice baby Jesus is riding on the cow!

Jack decorating cookies:

Jack and Steve at the Mall of America:

Stepec Christmas:

Stepec Christmas

2008-12-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

We headed up to the cities last Thursday to celebrate Christmas with the Stepecs. We did manage a quick trip to Ikea on the way to the Mall of America. Our dear friend Christie gave us some free wrist bands so Steve and Jack went on a few rides. Jack loved them! I think riding the carousel was his favorite. I do have some pictures which I'll have to work on posting. We checked in at our hotel later that evening. Jack couldn't quite figure out the hotel business, so he kept wandering around wondering where stuff was. He quickly adjusted once he saw there was a pool right out our room and when he realized we packed his basketball hoop.

We stayed at the Grand Rios Hotel and Waterpark, so once everyone else got checked in on Friday we headed down to the waterpark for a while. We also opened presents that night! Jack got a Little People airport, clipos, and some new clothes.

Our weekend couldn't be complete without a sick kid. Jack woke up Thursday night running a fever (only we didn't figure that out until Friday afternoon when it was up to 102 or 103...nice, parents I know). We couldn't get the fever to break or stay down so we ended up heading out Saturday morning after we opened our stockings. He was such a trooper considering how sick he was. Poor guy. We came home and headed to Urgent Care where they said he has a virus, that makes his throat look "nasty" and he has some cold sores in his mouth. Basically gave us a steroid to use and told us to make sure he drinks something. He hardly drank or ate anything at all yesterday. Once we got back from the doctor he ate 2 popsicles and a piece of pizza. He's taking advantage of us giving him anything he wants which is fine with me.

Today Jack and I are hanging out, and for those of you who know how I hate sitting still this is not small project. Jack wants me to sit with him at all times or sit in my lap and play with him. Steve has stuff all morning and evening so hopefully he can come home for a little while so I can run to the grocery store.

So once Jack lets me move to the other computer I'll post some cute pictures of the weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T03:25:00.000-08:00

My dad and brother came down from Minnesota for the weekend. Which means that I'm making the turkey and all the fixings. Should be interesting! At least it's just for family so when something doesn't turn out we can all tally this up as a good memory. Jack is of course thrilled because "Knuckles" is here to play basketball with him. They were watching videos on YouTube and then trying to dunk like what they saw. I think Steve will appreciate the break from having to play basketball and cheer when Jack makes it.

We went back to Jack's asthma doctor in Des Moines yesterday and he is happy with the progress Jack has made with his meds, but his goal is to have Jack not cough at all. So to make a long story short, we're going to try some new meds and go back in 3 months. Steve and I have to get our flu shot, that's our assignment I guess.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I'm excited to get out our Christmas decorations and get our tree tomorrow! Jack already talked Steve into putting up the outside Christmas lights.

Pictures...

2008-11-16T16:33:00.001-08:00

Jack has been really funny lately. I went upstairs to get ready for bed, and go into the bathroom where Jack is sitting on his stool playing his guitar in front of the mirror.

His morning routine involves me getting him when he wakes up around 6:30ish and bringing him into our bed where he reads books to Steve while he snores away...

The New "Mini"

2008-11-16T16:26:00.001-08:00

My sister, Lindi called our family minivan the "mini". So I'm sure if she were here today she would have some very special name for our new automobile! We bought it yesterday after months of looking and research. It's nice to finally have that item crossed off our list. We (especially me) am really good at packing LOTS of stuff when we travel places, which is why we wanted to get one so we would have enough space for all involved...Jack, new baby, dog, kitchen sink, etc.

I know I really have to up-date with other fun pictures of when my dad was here and things Jack has been up to. So I'll see how much time Jack gives me now to work on this! Otherwise it will have to be my personal goal for the week.

babysitter for a week...

2008-11-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

One last thing...I'm sure I'll have some stories to tell after this week is over, my dad or Bapa as Jack calls him is coming down for the week to watch Jack during the day so our friends can have a break. We'll keep you posted to see if he lasts the whole week or not...

halloween and leaves

2008-11-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Jack was a horse for Halloween...well, actually he was a horse-rider. His back legs made up the back legs of the horse. He wasn't too sure about all the Halloween stuff until he figured out that going around with that costume on meant that people would give you candy! YUM! It was a little tricky to put him in his carseat with that thing on, but we made it work. Look how much he enjoyed it!

He has also liked helping dad with the leaves! It keeps both of them entertained.

where has the time gone?

2008-11-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my last post was over a month ago! Yikes...

(this is Steve and Jack at the pond around Jordan Creek Town Center in Des Moines...Jack loved to watch the goldfish)

Things have been a little crazy in the Stepec household. One of the major changes is that Jack's daycare lady moved out of town so we have no daycare. But praise the Lord we have wonderful friends who have stepped in. He goes 2 days a week to 2 different houses and Steve has Friday off. It's worked out really well so far and Jack seems to really enjoy being able to go to Wal-Mart, McDonalds, the library, and who knows where else when Steve and I are working. The tricky part is I try to leave work right at 4:00 to go get him, so I'm often behind on school things...oh well, that pile of stuff will still be there the next day!

(mom putting Jack to work with the dustbuster...you've got to start somewhere, right?)

Jack also had an asthma attack which was scary but what a relief to have a "plan" and know what to do at 1:00 in the morning. He's not too sure about his "ducky face" or his inhaler, but he takes his medicine morning and night all on his own (oh yes, we do bribe him with 3 chocolate chips).

I enjoyed a weekend in the cities with Trisha, April, and Erin. We hit up Target, Mall of America, Noodles and Company, TGI Fridays, Brueggers Bagels, and Erin and I ended our trip to Borders. We have so much fun, and my stomach hurt from laughing so much! They bring such joy and fun to even things that shouldn't really be funny! Thanks girls.

True Iowan

2008-09-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

No words needed!

Weekend of Fun!

2008-09-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Knuckles and Bapa came down from Minnesota so that made Jack's day since Steve went to Trout Lake Camp for the weekend with the youth group. We had a lot of fun hanging out, eating yummy food(I even made a blueberry pie since my dad brought down some MN blueberries from this summer). We went apple picking today which was a lot of fun, and now we have TONS of apples. I better get baking! I'm really waiting for my pampered chef apple corer-peeler-slicer to come in. :)

Here are a couple cute pictures from apple picking. Since Jack LOVES to eat apples, he was in heaven on Nels shoulders picking his own apples from the trees.

doctor

2008-09-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday we spent the morning at the Blank Children's Health Center in Des Moines with a Pediatric Pumologist, to find out that Jack has asthma (which is what we were thinking) and he also has reflux, which goes hand in hand with asthma. What does this mean for us? Well, we have to keep a close diary for the next 60 days of when he coughs, etc and try to re-arrange some medications. We go back right before Thanksgiving and the goal is to try to figure out if he has consistent asthma or intermittent asthma and the best form of treatment depending on the type. I guess 10-15% of the general public have asthma, so it's not too uncommon.

We finished up the day with an hour trip to the pharmacy (just mom and Jack...and yes, I gave in and got him a sucker!) They of course had to educate us on all the meds and check with insurance, etc. Fun, fun, fun!

birthday pictures

2008-09-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I do have a couple pictures to add...here are the ones I promised back a couple weeks ago from Jack's birthday. He had so much fun that the morning after his party he slept in until 9:15! Don't get too jealous, that only has happened once.

Happy Birthday Jack!

2008-09-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe 2 years ago on the 15th Jack was born! Yikes...time goes too fast. We've had a couple weekends with fun birthday celebrations, which I'll post some pictures of sometime soon. I posted a picture of Jack when he was just a wee little guy!

big boy bed!

2008-09-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

We got Jack a twin bed for this 2nd birthday (even though it's not until the 15th). I thought it would take them at least a few days to deliver the bed, but they came an hour after we bought it. No more than 15 minutes after the bed was here and set up it was nap time. Jack told me he didn't want to sleep in his crib, because that was for babies so he napped on his bed. Amazing. Then when it was time for bed, he wanted to sleep in his bed. At this time I was thinking that we'll be up 10 times in the night with him getting up, etc. He went to bed and didn't wake up until morning when some random alarm went off in his room. We're crossing our fingers that this transition is easier than we were thinking it was going to be. I'll try to take a picture of the bed, but it's even cuter to see him sleeping in it. I'll have to try at a nap time so the flash doesn't wake him up.

Steve's parents have been here for the weekend, so we did an early celebration for Jack (one party out of 3 total). He got a Fisher Price House from them, which he has spent a great deal of time playing with already. At least now the people from the house are bigger then when I was a kid because those things hurt when you stepped on them.

Yes, I also survived the 1st 2 weeks of school with kids. I did figure out when you loop (have the same class for 2 years) you don't get the nice "honeymoon" period that you do when they're new. I guess they're too comfortable with you and each other. Great. They are pretty fascinated with the fact that I'm pregnant, I think they're really excited to have a sub from Feb-May they just don't want to tell me that.

kitchen floor

2008-08-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Some people have been asking how our kitchen floor looks...so here is a picture. It's so nice to be able to clean the floor and know that it's clean, unlike our other floor.

We had a nice weekend...some shopping done for back to school stuff, oraganized some stuff around the house. The first day for students is on Tuesday! YIKES! The one good thing about this week is that next Friday we head to Red Rock for our annual camping trip.

Have a good week! I'd like to think that I'll post before next weekend...but any of you who have had a first week of school teaching know that it's an insane week! :)